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January/February 2010 Alternative Health
Dangerous Scents

by Jennifer Cox

Fragrances today are not just simple plant-based odors. Many scents are made by chemical laboratories, combining several hundred chemicals to make a fragrance.

Research has found that synthetic fragrances can cause many health problems, including respiratory irritations, immune system damage, blood pressure changes, impaired concentration, headaches, dizziness and dermatitis.

How could something that smells so sweet lead to so many health problems? Approximately 85 percent of fragrances have been synthesized from petroleum and are neurotoxic. A few of the commonly found harmful chemicals in fragranced products are acetone, benzene, phenol, toluene, benzyl acetate and limonene.

“Our skin is highly permeable,” says Dr. Samuel Epstein, author of Toxic Beauty. “Less than one-tenth of an inch thick, skin is a porous membrane that is highly sensitive to toxic chemicals. What we put on our skin affects our health just as much, if not more, than what we put in our mouths.”

Harsh chemicals can exist even in a product that claims to be natural or unscented. Some toxic ingredients “illegally remain unlabeled,” says Epstein. “Of particular concern are hormonal phthalates, and synthetic ‘aroma boosters’ which strongly intensify organic fragrances."

Instead, look for products that are labeled as 100 percent fragrance-free, including products from Aubrey Organics, Alba Botanica and Kiss My Face.

Sources: Maryland Nurses Association and Environmental Health Coalition of Western Massachusetts.